As a policy aide, Duong provides budget analysis for the Board of Supervisors' Children, Seniors and Families Committee, which oversees $792 million of programs within the county's $4.6 billion budget.Programs include child welfare and foster care, CalFresh, CalWorks, aging, public guardian, adult protective services, senior nutrition, in-home support services and child support services. She also leads new initiatives for the county:

• Disproportionality in the child welfare system: understanding the causes and implications of the overrepresentation and underrepresentation of ethnic children compared to their presence in the general Santa Clara County population.• The county's Bail and Release Work Group, which analyzes the capacity and effectiveness of the county's public safety system in assessing all arrested persons for release and detention. Goals include public safety and safeguarding individual liberties while being sensitive to the vulnerabilities of immigrant communities.• Development of a service and operational blueprint for a future Vietnamese-American Service Center that will deliver language-accessible and culturally-competent county social and health services.In her spare time, she mentors students, and legal workshops, health campaigns and parent education forums, primarily in Vietnamese-American, Asian-American and immigrant communities. She also volunteers her legal skills with the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center in San Jose.Education: De Anza College; bachelor of arts, Asian American studies and ethnic studies; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Davis, School of Law, King Hall.Best advice received: Fear mediocrity, not failure.Biggest whoops: Giving up without ever trying. During my late teens to early 20s, somehow I had it in my head that higher education and a professional career was not within my reach. I made decisions and acted in accordance with what I thought was the extent of my opportunity. Luckily, my classmates' accomplishments at community college and the extra efforts made by my instructors inspired a different course.First job: Cleaning homes.Favorite job perk: Getting to forge meaningful relationships with our constituents and their families.Fantasy career: A host on the Home Shopping Network.Word that best describes you: Tenacious.Favorite stress release: Hiking.Favorite causes: Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center; International Children Assistance Network; Santa Clara County HUB Youth Resource Center; Kinship, Adoptive and Foster Parent Association.Something about you that wouldsurprise others: My favorite games are pool and table tennis.Favorite gadget: GoPro Hero4.Superpower you would like to have: Instantaneous mastery of every language in the world (ancient and modern).Where we'd most likely find you afterhours: At an educational event, communityfunction, celebration or conducting some type of outreach. The nature of our work keeps me and my colleagues working well into the evenings, touching base and checking in with our constituents. This is among our duties (and perks)!Favorite car: Our 1965 ivory white Mustang.Any secret talents? Facepainting.